It was determined that perhaps the art of Indiana walleye fishing could be reborn if fish between 6 and 7 inches in length were stocked, making certain that the 4-inch crappie that could easily finish off a fingerling wouldn’t have a chance at touching these babies. It was finally decided that, even though the cost was greater than the first attempt, using the larger fish at least guaranteed some margin of success, meaning a return on the investment, as opposed to losing all the money spent on the smaller fry and fingerling when there were no measurable results from the efforts.
In 2001, 31,000 larger walleye fingerlings were stocked into three natural lakes in Indiana, having been purchased from a fish hatchery in Wisconsin. The three lakes had been stocked with the smaller fish and had marginal results previously. This time around, there was excellent success. Sylvan Lake reports show that anglers participating in Indiana walleye fishing are now able to catch a good share of walleye at the required 14-inch minimum or larger. Crooked and Winona Lakes are not quite as successful yet, but surveyors are finding great improvement in the stock, with sizes increasing significantly. Anglers are catching more walleye; they simply don’t meet the size requirements as often just yet. However, the release of the smaller specimen guarantees that, with each following season, there will be even more regulation-sized walleye to keep!
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